The Networks is now in its third printing. It's been printed in Chinese, there's a German version in the works, and more languages are on their way.

Like what you see? If your friendly local or online game store is sold out of The Networks, the base game is available from this campaign.

You'll need a copy of the base game to play The Networks: Executives.

And now you're all caught up!

So you’ve proven your worth in the past. We know you can run an ordinary TV network. Big deal.

We have a bigger challenge for you. Here are 12 unique Network Executives, each with their own weird characteristics. Every Executive has powers, but they also have significant liabilities.
Can you master each Executive’s idiosyncrasies, draft the best Season 0 cards, claim your true status as a Mogul, and come out on top?

The Networks: Executives adds three major components to The Networks: Executives, Season 0 Cards, and Mogul Cards.

The Executives are the biggest addition to the game. The expansion comes with 12 Executives in the box. Each one will significantly change the way you play the game by giving you a set of distinct powers and liabilities.

You can play as Flix, which turns your network into a streaming service that lets you consider all your Shows as being in their proper time slots... but every time you switch genres within a time slot, you lose Viewers.

You can play as Beeb, which turns your network into a state-run enterprise that tends to generate revenue. But because you now have a lot of bureaucracy to deal with, you must use a rondel to choose your actions.

You can play as Telethon, which turns your network into a public broadcasting network. You may not hold Ads in your Green Room. But you may hold a telethon once per season to ask other players for money, in exchange for powerful Sponsorship Tokens. If they don't give you money, you get to keep the Sponsorship Token to use yourself.

And so on. With all the Executives in the game, the amount of challenge and replayability grows enormously.

The Season 0 Cards are a new way to begin the game. Instead of everyone starting with similar Shows, Stars, and Ads, you will now begin the game with a draft. Everyone starts with a hand of 4 Season 0 Shows, and chooses one as their 8 pm Show. Most Season 0 Shows get you Stars, Ads, and/or Money, but have no genre and give you no Viewers. Others have a genre and Viewers, but get you nothing else.

Once you've selected your 8 pm Show and received anything it gives you, you'll pass the remaining 3 Season 0 Cards to the player on your left and receive 3 cards from the player on your right. Everyone will now choose their 9 pm Show, and so on.

This starting draft ensures that players begin the game with completely different setups. Some players may begin with a stocked green room, but no Shows with Genres. Other players may get shows with Genres to get a head-start on their Genre Bonus, but with little in their green room.

Why is the race to a Genre Bonus important? Because of the third addition to the game: Mogul Cards. These are effectively supercharged Network Cards. At the start of the game, you'll deal out a number of them to the table equal to the number of players plus one. These will be the only Mogul Cards available in the game; you will not replenish these between Seasons.

You get a Mogul Card by either getting your first 5-Show Genre Bonus, or your second 3-Show Genre Bonus. You can no longer draw Network Cards or trade in money for Viewers after a 5-Show Genre Bonus, but some Mogul Cards still let you do that.

Mogul Cards even out some lategame swinginess present in the base game and give players a long-term goal to shoot for.

With these three huge additions to the base game, The Networks becomes a much deeper and more replayable game!

"If you ever thought what your damp, shoddy, and structurally unsound public access TV station experience needed was to give more attention to the equally shoddy and unsound eccentricity of its management, then you're in luck! Because that's what Executives is all about." - Cardboard Republic

"The Executives adds a ton of variability and exciting new strategies to the base game! The wide array of player powers and Season Zero starting options makes every player's game feel unique with interesting and challenging decisions. The addition of Mogul cards give players powerful rewards to work towards, and the new shows inject welcome new content for regular players. More than an essential expansion, The Executives is a reward for Networks fans!" - Danielle and Jake Bock, Draft Mechanic

"When we played it was obvious that this expansion gives The Networks a ton of replayability. This is totally an expansion you need if you like the original game." - Gameosity

"...The Networks is a well crafted card-drafting game. The game remains engaging throughout the entire playing time, and the escalating strength of the three Show decks gives a nice trajectory to the strategy/scoring." - The Opinionated Gamers

"This is the perfect medium-weight game... I’m impressed with what Gil Hova has done in The Networks and look forward to seeing how it will do on Kickstarter. He’s made a solid game with a great sense of humor. And yes, it was difficult to cancel “An Hour of Shouting”, but it didn’t bring in the viewers I needed. There’s no room for sentimentality on the Networks." - Indie Cardboard

"The Networks is, quite literally, my favorite Euro-style game. Gil Hova has done what many have found unthinkable, combining a deep economic game of resource management with sharp humor and an incredibly engaging narrative. It's a perfect blend of mechanism and theme. It is, in short, UHF: The Euro Game. And you need it in your collection." - Your Moderator Chris, Flip the Table podcast

"If you're looking for some lighter fun with a backbone, and fantastic dad puns, you can feel good spending an hour of your table time with it... I think Gil's game is smart, well-designed, and it sneaks in a challenging game under the cover of humor." - Heavy Cardboard

"With screwball humor and well-developed mechanics, this game offers both charming flavor and solid design. The Networks is basically UHF: The Board Game. It encourages you to excel at the inanity of television programming on the one hand while lambasting it on the other, and yet this charming mix of motives adds up to a game that’s amusing and strategic all at once." - The Cardboard Republic review (Awarded the Seal of the Republic!)

"The Networks is a thoroughly enjoyable card game. Deciding when to develop new shows and drop existing shows, as well as what time slots, who will star in them and what advertising to use is surprisingly fun. The game plays fast, is easy to teach but has many tough decisions. I cannot wait to see what potential additions come about from stretch goals for this game’s Kickstarter campaign." - Board Game Quest

"All-in-all, I really enjoyed The Networks. It is approachable, funny, and smart all at the same time. I know that this is a game that I can bring out with newer gamers because they will have a blast with the theme, yet I can also bring it out with more hardcore gamers due to its subtle depth. Gil Hova of Formal Ferret Games has created an impressive gem; One which points to a bright and successful future for this indie publisher. I can’t wait to see what kind of cards and new ideas will make their way into future expansions. Any game that can make me want more while still feeling like a complete and final product has something special going for it."- Meeple Mountain

"This is a winner. I want one. We're actually going to fight over this copy." - Punching Cardboard

"Overall, The Networks was done beautifully and kept me wanting more... kinda like my yearn for reality television, but much less guilty this time around." - Indie Tabletop

"The Networks is simply an extremely well-designed game... and the gameplay is just so solid. Maybe it’s true that there’s nothing good on TV, but, quite frankly, with The Networks, I’ve already got plenty of entertainment at my fingertips." - Gameosity

"Like an episode of Game of Thrones, this game is addicting and leaves you wondering how the last 60 minutes flew by so quickly. The Networks is must-see-TV and I highly recommend you check it out." - League of Nonsensical Gamers

"...it’s strong in all its elements – theme, gameplay, strategic challenge, accessibility, length, graphics, humor – across the board, making for a fantastic game that’s greater than the sum of its already solid parts. A game of The Networks is more fun than drinking from the fire hose, and in the end, fun is what it’s all about." - Up With Meeple

At this pledge level, you can stay subscribed to updates about the game. Every little bit helps!

This pledge level is for retailers only. It will allow retailers to buy The Networks and The Networks: Executives by the case. If you pledge at this level, you will buy the games as an add-on, so you will not be charged until just before the games get shipped to you.

This pledge level will allow you to get digital Print-and-Play files (PNPs) for The Networks, The Networks: Executives, and The Networks: On the Air. You will need to print these files out and cut them into cards in order to play the game.

This pledge level gets you one physical copy of The Networks: Executives and all PNPs. This pledge level does not include a copy of the base game.

If you're in Australia, New Zealand, Denmark, Norway, or Iceland, please back the game at the International Executive level, which will offer a reduced shipping rate!

This pledge level gets you one physical copy of The Networks: Executives, one physical copy of The Networks: On the Air, and all PNPs. This pledge level does not include a copy of the base game.

On the Air is a mini-expansion containing the stretch goals achieved from the previous Kickstarter campaign, with extra Shows, Stars, and Ads, as well as stickers to put on your turn order and scoring markers and some blank cards to come up with your own Shows and Stars.

This will be a new printing of On the Air, so the quality here should be more consistent than the first printing.

If you're in Australia, NewZealand, Denmark, Norway, or Iceland, please back the game at the International Executive with bonuses level, which will offer a reduced shipping rate!

This pledge level gets you one physical copy of The Networks base game, one physical copy of The Networks: Executives, and all PNPs.

There are still quite a few copies of the base game floating around local and online game stores. I heartily encourage you to consider buying the base game from your favorite game store. You'll support their business, and you'll be familiar with the base game by the time The Executives arrives at your door!

If you're in Australia, New Zealand, Denmark, Norway, or Iceland, please back the game at the Executive Int'l Vice President level, which will offer a reduced shipping rate!

This pledge level gets you one physical copy of The Networks base game, one physical copy of The Networks: Executives, one physical copy of The Networks: On the Air, and all PNPs.

If you're in Australia, New Zealand, Denmark, Norway, or Iceland, please back the game at the Executive Int'l Vice President with bonuses level, which will offer a reduced shipping rate!

This pledge level contains everything that the Executive Vice President+ pledge level gets you, PLUS you get to name an Executive!

Here's how it works. Each Executive is double-sided, with a female figure on one side and a male figure on the other. Each Executive has a stock name for their power, e.g. Mr./Ms. Rich, Mr./Ms Cheapo, Mr./Ms. Telethon, and so on. But at this level, you'll supply us with the Executive's real name, like "Martha Higgenbottom III, Esq."

You're welcome to choose your own name, the name or nickname of a friend or loved one, or a fictional name you just think sounds cool. I will have veto power over all names, though, so please don't submit anything off-color or unpleasant!

This pledge level contains everything that the Executive Vice President+ pledge level gets you, PLUS you get to name a Network!

Here's how it'll work. There are 5 player boards, just as in the base game. These player boards will be divided into a Network Name board, showing the name of your network and your player color, and an Executive board, reminding you of what powers you have.

The Network Name boards will be double-sided. The existing network names from the base game (U62, VCK, PKW, ICS, and MOO) will still be on one side of the board, but the name you select will be on the other, along with a brand-new design.

I will have veto power over all names, though, so please don't submit anything off-color or unpleasant!

Want more copies of the game? You can add them on here!

I will be using a pledge manager called BackerKit to help manage add-ons. So while you can pay for these add-ons by increasing your pledge, you can also wait until the campaign ends. Either way, you'll submit the add-ons when you give me your mailing address. Then, if your pledge isn't enough to cover the add-ons, BackerKit will prompt you to cover the difference.

I used BackerKit in my previous campaign for Wordsy, and I found it made my job exponentially easier. Hopefully it will help you out as well!

Note that all these prices are without shipping. I will calculate add-on shipping costs closer to the end of the campaign.

You can order an extra copy of The Networks base game for $50 extra, plus shipping.

You can make it a 3-pack (add 2 copies of The Networks base game to your pledge) by adding $90 to your pledge. This 3-pack offer is only available if you have pledged at a level that includes the base game as a reward level ($79 and up).

You can order an extra copy of The Networks: Executives for $29 extra, plus shipping.

You can make it a 3-pack (add 2 copies of The Networks: Executives to your pledge) by adding $50 to your pledge. This 3-pack offer is only available if you have pledged at a level that includes The Executives as a reward level ($29 and up).

You can order an extra copy of The Networks: On the Air for $6.

There are no quantity deals available for The Networks: On the Air.

The Networks: On the Air contains stretch goals from the first Networks campaign; see the $35 pledge level above for more details.

These stretch goals will not come in the retail box for the expansion! Instead, they'll be packaged in external expansions that will be available once the expansion is out in stores.

This means the stretch goals below are not exclusives. However, they will be tougher to get ahold of than the base game or expansion, so this is your best opportunity to pick them up!

COMPLETE! At $30,000, the project has been officially funded. Hooray!

CLEAR! At $40,000, all backers pledging $29 and up will now receive 20 clear plastic cubes to replace the black timing cubes from the base game. A lot of people who play The Networks like to place their timing cubes directly over the number of viewers they're getting that season, in case they have a show on at the wrong time slot. Transparent cubes will make that a lot easier!

COMPLETE! Meet the Gorilla! At $50,000, all backers pledging $29 and up will receive a 13th Network Executive.

This character is the 800-pound gorilla. When playing, you will get extra money at the start of each Season ($2M per player in the game), and extra Viewers at the end of the game (1 Viewer per player in the game). The downside? You go last every Season, regardless of your score. Quite a challenge!

COMPLETE! Meet Continuum! At $60,000, all backers pledging $29 and up will receive a 14th Network Executive.

This character is a time traveler! Once per Season, you may spend money to run your time machine to take two actions on your turn. If you don't do that during the Season, you may run it at the end of the Season to consider one of your Shows as being in its proper time slot.

When you run your time machine, you'll take an Anomaly card and put it on top of the Star Deck. Any player who gets that card, either through drawing from the top of the Star Deck, or in the following Season, when the card becomes one of the Stars available to Sign, puts it in their Green Room. You can spend an Anomaly to get two actions on your turn.

COMPLETE! At $70,000, we will give each Network Executive its own logo! This will make them easier to distinguish from one another.

I have a signature up there, but they won't necessarily look like signatures. Rich may have their name written in diamonds, Butcher will be sharp and maybe drip something red, and so on. It's going to look cool!

COMPLETE! OK, this one is exciting. At $80K, I'll provide replacement scoring markers in all colors that will replace the squares that came in the base game. These scoring markers will look like cute little TVs! And they'll still stack nicely like the original discs.

Note that the image above is just a mockup; they will not necessarily look exactly like that, but it's the spirit of what we want!

COMPLETE! ...and here's the companion to the $80K stretch goal! At $90K, I'll provide replacement turn order marker in all colors that will replace the discs that came in the base game. They'll look like little remote controls!

Note that the image above is just a mockup; they will not necessarily look exactly like that, but it's the spirit of what we want!

At $100K, you'll get a new Season Marker that will replace the current one. It's going to look like a TV tower!

Note that the image above is just a mockup; they will not necessarily look exactly like that, but it's the spirit of what we want!

When I launched this Kickstarter, I was going to ship out the base game along with Executives, in the same package. But at $125K, I will be able to manufacture the base game first, get that on a cargo ship ASAP, and deliver it to you in a separate package a few months before Executives!

In a week or two, I will have a better estimate of when I can fulfill the base game if we reach this stretch goal. Right now, it's looking like we can deliver it no later than April 2018, possibly sooner.

This stretch goal will only affect folks who pledge at $75 and up.

At $150K, all backers who pledge $29 and up will get all starter Shows, Stars, and Ads from the base game, with special rules on how to incorporate them in Networks: Executives!

This stretch goal has been requested by a few backers. I had to figure out a way to smoothly incorporate them into the experience, but after some testing, I think I have it.

All Starter Shows will now all be gray "no-genre" cards, but will have the same names and art as from the base game.

IMPORTANT - If you are in Australia, New Zealand, Norway, Iceland, or Switzerland, and you want to back at the $29 or $35 levels, make sure you pledge at the International Executive or International Executive with Bonuses levels. Those will give you better shipping rates!

Note that there's a slight omission in the pledge level bullet points for the International Executive pledge level. There should be a bullet point for a physical copy of the On the Air expansion.

For this campaign, I am providing a $7 discount on shipping for all backers. This won't reduce your shipping cost to $0, but I hope it will take most of the sting out of the shipping bill.

If you're backing in Canada, you will not have to pay any extra charges beyond shipping. All rewards will ship from Starlit Citadel, based in Vancouver.

If you're a customer within the EU, your rewards will ship from within the EU. This means people who live in EU-member countries will not have to pay VAT. Hooray!

Keep in mind that some countries like Switzerland are physically within the continent of Europe but are not EU members. If you're in a non-EU-member nation, you may still have to pay customs, taxes, or import fees on your package.

If you are in the EU and choose either the $29 or $35 pledges, your package will not be tracked by default, as that increases shipping costs significantly. If you fall into this category and prefer your package to be tracked, message me and we can work something out.

One more note on current events: At the time of this campaign, the UK is still part of the EU. The current plan is to ship all EU rewards (including UK rewards) from the UK.

It's unlikely that will change by the time of fulfillment, but if it does, I will send UK rewards from within the UK and EU rewards from a different fulfillment center within the EU.

Either way, if you are in the EU right now, you will not have to pay VAT!

Risks and challenges

Board games are hard to make! Anyone who's used Kickstarter to back a tabletop game can tell you about projects that funded but delivered late... if at all.

I've been designing games for a long time, and I now have three successful Kickstarter projects under my belt: The Networks' base game, Wordsy, and Bad Medicine. And by "successful," I don't just mean that they funded. All of my projects have shipped to backers around the world within a month of the estimated ship date.

I've backed enough projects to know what tends to go wrong with a tabletop campaign. Here is what I'm doing to make sure The Networks: Executives will not be delayed.

First: Game design and graphic design are mostly done. This game is less than a month away from being ready to be sent to the manufacturer. In fact, I will begin the pre-production process with my manufacturer during the Kickstarter campaign, which should save us some time.

Second: One lesson I learned since the original Kickstarter campaign for The Networks was a better understanding of manufacturing and quality. Since then, I've switched manufacturers. Ever since the second printing of The Networks, I've used Panda Games, one of the biggest and best-known hobby game printers in the world. I've also used them for my game Wordsy. They deliver incredibly high-quality products on time.

Third: I will be using several board game fulfillers to deliver The Networks: Executives to the US and most of the world. That leaves shipping in the hands of people who can send packages safely and quickly, and who understand that tabletop games require more packaging than other products.

Fourth: I am using a company called OTX to handle the logistics of transporting the manufactured games from the plant in China to the warehouse in the US. This is an intricate process, but OTX is quite used to it, and they specialize in board game logistics. I've used OTX to deliver two printings of The Networks and the first printing of Wordsy, so I know they're reliable.

Fifth: I've backed plenty of Kickstarter projects, some which delivered on time, some which delivered late, and some that never delivered at all. I learned a lot from each of them.

At this point, I'm familiar with just about everything that can go wrong in a Kickstarter. Believe me, failing to fund is not even close to the worst-case scenario! I've heard many stories, from artists never delivering their art, to pallets stolen at the port, to mold in the game boxes and snails in the shipping container.

But I've built a great team around me. I feel that I am prepared to deliver this product to you close to my estimate of July 2018.

Kickstarter is not a store.

Pledge $80 or more
About $80

Executive Vice President with bonuses

You get one physical copy of The Networks base game, one physical copy of The Networks: Executives, AND one physical copy of The Networks: On the Air shipped anywhere to you, anywhere in the world, plus PNP files for the base game and expansion.

Kickstarter is not a store.

Pledge $80 or more
About $80

Executive Int'l Vice President w bonuses

You get one physical copy of The Networks base game, one physical copy of The Networks: Executives, AND one physical copy of The Networks: On the Air shipped to you, plus PNP files for the base game and expansion.

This pledge level is ONLY for backers in Australia, New Zealand, Switzerland, Norway, and Iceland. You'll pay less shipping if you choose this pledge level!

Kickstarter is not a store.

Pledge $150 or more
About $150

Board Member

You get to give a name to one of the Executives! It can be your name, a friend or loved one's name, or just something you make up.

You get one physical copy of The Networks base game, one physical copy of The Networks: Executives, AND one physical copy of The Networks: On the Air shipped anywhere to you, anywhere in the world, plus PNP files for the base game and expansion.

Kickstarter is not a store.

Pledge $200 or more
About $200

CEO

Name a TV network! Just like in the base game, you'll have the opportunity to name one of the 5 TV networks. The TV network names from the base game will still be available on the other side of the player board.

You'll also get everything in the Executive Vice President reward level.